Porridge - The Christmas Specials [1975] [1976] [DVD]

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As a family we will also always drop everything and sit down and shut up to watch (weird to say this now the Queen has left us) the King's speech. A genuine neologism was "nerk", which was used in place of the more offensive " berk". "Berk" has changed meaning since its inception and is generally used now to mean "fool" while the original rhyming slang meaning refers to female genitalia (via 'Berkeley Hunt'). Another term was "scrote" (presumably derived from scrotum), meaning a nasty, unpleasant person. That was on BBC2 last night. It is still so watchable, script timing and the characters are all fabulous. Porridge like other well remembered comedies of the last century endure because they pretty much had to be designed for a family audience. Especially Porridge given its setting. Thus it becomes a warm family memory.

Vicar of Dibley up to a point-the episode where she tries to eat 3 Christmas dinners probably my favourite. During the 1970’s festive editions of popular sitcoms were very popular, with both BBC and ITV running festive editions of their most popular sitcoms. Porridge was no exception. I know it's not strictly a sitcom but it had some funny moments, I want to give a mention to last year's Mortimer & Whitehouse's Gone Christmas Fishing special. I thought it was magnificent.Also because I'm such a fan of Aardman Animations and collect Wallace and Gromit memorabilia we will tend to watch Arthur Christmas and the Wallace and Gromits as well. Other shows including Modern Family, Magnum P.I. and Moonbase 8 will be arriving later in December. This heart-warming drama stars Rob Brydon and Dawn French and sees iconic children authors Roald Dahl and Beatrix Potter meeting. One Foot in the Grave-perhaps the Algarve one but another show that developed into a must see Christmas tradition.

Hugely successful series from Granada TV that started in 1957 as a fortnightly live sitcom, which was moved to a weekly spot when it became so popular. The series followed the misfortunes of a mixed bag of army conscripts. It turns out that the Governor is feeling ill with an upset stomach, and has to keep running to the toilet. Urwin, the new trusty, comes in with the Governor's cup of tea. As the Governor is making another visit to the toilet, Urwin reveals his plan. He produces a gun and takes Barrowclough and the Governor's secretary, Mrs Jamieson, hostage. The episode is considered to be one of the best Christmas specials ever to have graced the small screen. Following the example of other sitcom crossovers, such as Dad's Army, Steptoe and Son and The Likely Lads, a feature-length version of Porridge was made in 1979. Barker again starred as Fletcher, and most of the supporting cast also returned. Unlike the television series, it was actually filmed at a real prison as HMP Chelmsford was temporarily vacant following a fire.If you’re a quiz fan, then why not test your knowledge on all things Christmas movies hosted by comedian Alan Carr. The Desperate Hours" is the second Christmas special of the BBC sitcom Porridge. It first aired on 24 December 1976. [1] In this episode, Fletcher and Godber are in trouble for brewing liquor in the lead-up to Christmas, but are caught up in a hostage situation in the Governor's office. It was the only episode of Porridge to air in 1976. Id add votes for OFAH-Jolly Boys Outing is a peak memory for many I think simply because it features the whole cast going full on for the laughs. Didn't matter at all that it was set in summer. Obviously a number of other contenders-the Batman clip was an instant legend.